by Deborah Rogers –
The debut novel by Amanda Peters, The Berry Pickers, proved to be an extremely popular choice for our group. There’s been quite a bit of buzz about the book, which won the Discover Prize last year, and perhaps with no surprise due to Peters having previously won the Indigenous Voices Award. She has mixed Mi’kmaq and settler ancestry which lends the story, set in Nova Scotia and Maine, two authentic leading characters, Norma and Joe.
In 1962 a Mi’kmaq family travel from Nova Scotia to Maine for the season to pick berries. It’s a trip they’ve made for many years, but this time a tragedy strikes. Four-year-old Ruthie disappears from the edge of the field where her family was working and cannot be found. Her brother Joe is the last to see her. Joe’s life is defined by this loss, and we follow his story as he struggles with sorrow, grief and ultimately addiction and ill-health. Interwoven with Joe’s story is that of Norma. She grows up in Maine, an only child in a family that is shadowed with a secret. Norma experiences dreams that hint towards a different life, but her young mind struggles to make sense of them, and her mother discourages any exploration. Norma’s search for a sense of identity leads to a shattering discovery later in her life.
The novel is hard to categorize as the mystery at its heart is explained in the prologue. Armed with the knowledge that Joe will meet Ruthie again, the reader is able to relax into the writing and explore the development of each character. Our group found the characters compelling and believable. Peters has a knack for dialogue, and the story flows quickly through the course of several decades.
It’s a book that’s threaded through with loss and guilt, but our readers didn’t find it heavy. Peters presents these topics that are hard to confront but shows us how resilience and hope can help you endure. Joe’s family had a depth of love that carried them through, and it made an impact on many of our readers.
The Berry Pickers provoked discussion about the impact of being removed from your culture, the double standards in treatment of Indigenous and non-Indigenous people, and the idea that identity can be put upon us, and the burden that brings. It’s a compelling read that also holds the promise of a bright future for its author.
Next month we will be discussing The Book of Hope by Jane Goodall and Douglas Abrams. Join us at our meeting on Tuesday April 9, 6:30 p.m. at the Sidney/North Saanich Library. Sign up to the mailing list for updates: www.seasidemagazine.ca/book-club.
